A missed federal payroll tax deposit can trigger hefty penalties -- they just went up on July 1. But a new IRS program could provide automatic penalty relief for eligible employers with a strong compliance history. The IRS's Automatic Exemption…
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Not every sign-on bonus belongs in the overtime calculation – and a recent federal case out of Virginia shows why. A fired employee filed a lawsuit against his former employer, claiming he was illegally terminated after complaining about a co-worker’s…
Employers located or doing business in the U.S. Virgin Islands may avoid the 2026 FUTA credit reduction flagged earlier this year. The territory has officially repaid the federal loan principal that put it on the list, the Virgin Islands Department…
A San Diego deli will pay more than $500,000 in back wages after a federal investigation found it paid workers a flat daily rate that fell short of minimum wage and overtime requirements. Here's what happened, according to an investigation…
The IRS has increased 2026 mileage rates for the second half of the year due to rising fuel prices. Here are the changes that took effect on July 1. The business standard mileage rate is 76 cents per mile, up…
What's the maximum Social Security tax that Payroll could withhold from each employee in 2027? The taxable wage base estimate has been released. According to the intermediate projection in the June 2026 Trustees Report, the Social Security taxable wage base…
The new Mississippi Work and Save Program creates a voluntary, state-run retirement savings option for private-sector employees whose employers don’t offer one. Under the law, the State Treasurer must have the program operational so individuals can begin contributing no later…
A D.C. hospitality business will pay more than $243,000 after an investigation found worker misclassification and other wage and hour violations affecting more than 270 workers. The case shows that compliance risk doesn't stop at the federal level – local…
Most state withholding tables coincide with the start of the calendar year. But mid-year adjustments happen too, and they can catch payroll teams off guard, especially when the new tables apply retroactively. Three states released revised withholding tables in 2026.…
Finance departments have spent years investing in automation, but spreadsheets still handle much of the work. A recent survey by AutoRek puts numbers behind that reality: 90% of finance teams still rely on spreadsheets for their operations. For many teams,…
Maryland added new restrictions to earned wage access (EWA) programs, becoming the latest state to reshape how these services operate. For employers with multistate workforces, it's another sign that EWA compliance is becoming increasingly state-specific. In April, Gov. Wes Moore…
Chicago employers with tipped workers can leave the tipped cash wage where it is — a previously scheduled July 1 step-up is off -- for now. The city's tip-credit phase-out, which would've raised the required cash wage, is paused for…
